Australia should be sanctioned or suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum over the Morrison government's pro-coal stance, Kiribati's former president, Anote Tong, says.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Mr Tong saying if a country causes harm to others, such as by fuelling climate change, "there should be sanctions".

Mr Tong, who has long been an advocate for low-lying nations facing catastrophe as sea levels rise, said the Australian government's recent approval of Adani's Carmichael coal mine was an example of "ignoring the science that's coming forward".

And he's right. Australia, by its actions, is trying to drown much of the rest of the Forum, and literally wipe their nations from the face of the Earth. Such an attitude seems completely inconsistent with membership. Australia should be suspended until it changes it policies so as to no longer pose a direct threat to the existence of its neighbours.